Alonso on 2018 McLaren: “Renault is a guaranteed success”

It would be justifiably argued that McLaren driver Fernando Alonso’s ambitions to compete at two FIA world championships simultaneously is to say the least, a challenge.

The Spaniard will be competing both Formula One and the World Endurance Championship for 2018, for McLaren and Toyota respectively, the ambition is to win at Le Mans with Toyota. It’s been somewhat of a badly kept secret that Alonso wishes to achieve the fabled ‘Triple Crown’ of motorsport, of which only Graham Hill is recognised as having won the three races required – Le Mans 24 hours, Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.

“but Le Mans was just a race I’ve always wanted to drive, a race that attracts me magnetically, truly big car race. When I got the opportunity, I could not miss it. ”

Personal friend and former F1 driver Mark Webber has already warned against trying to do both championships saying that it’s a mistake and that the Spaniard ‘might get hurt’, in a physical sense.

But still, Alonso is still towing the line for McLaren and the decision to move over to Renault as engine supplier after the horrendous Honda relationship of the last three years.

“I said last year that I will win races in 2018, and that’s exactly what will happen. ” maintains Alonso.

I have total confidence in Renault. I see three engine manufacturers at the highest level – Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault. Well, Mercedes has dominated the new turbo era in the first few years, but if I can trust someone, it’s Renault. They’ve won six titles in the last thirteen years, four with Red Bull Racing, two with me in the factory team. Renault is a guaranteed success, it has always been so. ”

10 responses to “Alonso on 2018 McLaren: “Renault is a guaranteed success””

”I said last year that I will win races in 2018, and that’s exactly what will happen.”
– Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Yes, the chances that Mclaren will finally be able to achieve a race win are higher next season than they were at any point during the last three, but still, though, it isn’t set in stone that they will indeed win a race during the upcoming season, so too early to jump to definite conclusions.

Can somebody explain to me how running in two World championships will be a challenge?

In the modern era, F1 drivers don’t have the commitments with track time that they had before this testing ban. They are working 20 weekends a year and any simulator work is generally covered by ex Grand Prix drivers who are employed for what would have previously been driven on track.

Also, he’s competing in a one team championship with the withdrawal of Porsche and Audi – hardly the hardest challenge in history.

If he had to choose to do this, it could not have been scripted any easier…

If at the last race of the season McLaren need points to secure a higher constructors finish, and get millions more in the FOM payout – I don’t know if I’d want to have one of my drivers having raced and having to go from Sao Paulo to Shanghai to Abu Dhabi in 10 days.

Lets not forget that with loss of Honda and the drop from 6th to 9th in the constructors WC – McLaren have $100M – $120M less budget his year than 2016. Unless McLaren’s owners have made that loss up, which I doubt, and when coupled with the problems they’ll have integrating a new engine into the chassis, I think the best McLaren can hope for is to challenge Force India for 4th in the constructors WC. And I think that that will be a stretch. I don’t see them winning a race this year or even getting a podium.